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Charles County Sheriff's Office

Officers, Police K9s Arrest Three Suspects in Shooting Incident

Charles County Sheriff Rex W. Coffey said outstanding police work led to the apprehension of three armed suspects who had just shot a man they had specifically targeted for money.

On May 7 at 6:20 a.m., two masked men approached a 31-year-old male who was walking out of his apartment building with his family in the 4100 block of Falcon Place in Waldorf. The men showed a gun and forced the victim and his family back inside where they held them at gunpoint and demanded money. At about 8 a.m., a scuffle ensued and the victim was shot multiple times in the arm and leg. The suspects stole numerous items and fled.

A call was made to 911 and a description of the suspects and their vehicle was broadcast. Officers canvassed the area and K9 officer PFC D. Behm spotted the suspects’ truck –a Chevy Tahoe- on route 228. He attempted to stop it, but the driver fled. Officers pursued the suspects to Route 210 where the driver lost control near Farmington Drive and hit a guardrail. The driver and a passenger jumped out of the SUV and fled in different directions. Another suspect stayed in the vehicle and was apprehended.

PFC Behm and his K9 partner, Ryker, followed one suspect and ordered him to stop. The suspect refused and instead jumped a guardrail and headed toward a wooded area. PFC Behm gave his K9 a command to apprehend the suspect at which time Ryker jumped the guardrail and apprehend the suspect, holding him until his handler could make a safe apprehension. Once in custody, PFC Behm found a gun in the suspect’s pocket. The suspect had a minor injury which did not require medical treatment.

The other suspect ran to a wooded area. Cpl. C. Clevenger and his K9 partner, Eno, along with K9 Officer W. Christian (without his dog) and patrol officer PFC P. Alvarez, tracked the suspect for nearly a half mile – through a wooded terrain, a creek, and through two neighborhoods – and eventually found the suspect hiding in a children’s play set in the backyard of a house. The suspect was apprehended without further incident. Forensics personnel responded to the scene and recovered additional evidence. Officers also observed another gun inside the suspects’ vehicle.

Detectives assigned to the Criminal Investigations Division say it appears the suspects knew of the victim and targeted him because they believed he had money. The suspects, ages 30, 19 and 15, all from Washington, D.C., will be charged with attempted murder, first-degree assault, second-degree assault, kidnapping, burglary, theft and other charges. The victim was flown to a hospital where he was admitted with injuries that do not appear to be life-threatening. The investigation is continuing.

Charles County Crime Solvers offers rewards of up to $1,000 for information that leads to the arrest or indictment of a person responsible for a crime in Charles County. Anyone with information about an unsolved crime or the location of a fugitive may contact Charles County Crime Solvers by calling 1-866-411-TIPS, texting CHARLES + the tip to CRIMES (274637) or submitting tips online at tipsubmit.com. All individuals who provide tips through Crime Solvers will remain anonymous. Learn more at the CCSO’s website.

The Charles County Sheriff’s Office is a full-service law enforcement agency comprised of more than 600 police, corrections and civilian personnel responsible for protecting more than 150,000 residents. The CCSO was accredited by the Commission on the Accreditation of Law Enforcement Agencies (CALEA) in 2001 has been designated as a CALEA Gold Standard of Excellence agency since 2011. Established in 1658, the CCSO is one of the oldest law enforcement agencies in the United States. For more information, visit ccso.us.

Pictured from left to right are Officer Behm with K9 Ryker and Officer Clevenger with K9 Eno.

My 5 year old son Cane, wants to be a police man when he grows up. No matter where we go or what we are doing if we see a police car we must go find the officer it belongs to. He has had this desire to be a police officer for almost 3 years now, meeting the officers in person is truly a great honor for my son. Over the years we have met many police personal, and their canine partners. For their years of service I'm sure officers hear both good and bad remarks. One thing is for certain if the words are from my son they always start with thank you. Thank you for your service, thank you for helping and protecting people. Thank you for choosing a career that puts others lives ahead of your own. When I watch these interactions with the officers and my son, I can't help but to tear up a bit. This is my son of his own free will expressing him self, these are his words. Getting a handshake or sometimes a hug from the officer or officers means the world to my son. I know that the officers appreciate the kind words, but I often wonder if they truly know how much just a simple hello means to him. All I know for certain is that I am positive 13 years from now my son will be entering the police academy.